Workshops and Lectures
We offer a varied selection of workshops where you can take time for yourself, make a beautiful object and experience the enchanting, empowering feeling of creating with your hands.
In addition, we offer the opportunity to attend engaging lectures on the wonderful history of folk costumes, featuring rare historical items and fascinating slide presentations.
Wrist warmers with a roositud ornament
A century and a half ago, the women of Tõstamaa knitted their own mittens with fine yarn and needles. The mittens consisted mainly of red roositud ornaments. Today, in addition to mittens, women also wear beautiful roositud wrist warmers knitted with fine yarn.
In this workshop, roositud wrist warmers are knitted using 1.25 mm needles and yarn no. 12/2 (600 m/100 g). The workshop is led by two Tõstamaa knitting masters. Participants can finish the wrist warmers as homework.
The price includes materials.
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Pincushion with a roositud ornament
In this workshop you will knit a small pincushion with a roositud ornament. The knitting uses 1.5 mm needles and yarn no. 7/2 (350 m/100 g). Depending on the yarn and needles chosen and your working speed, finishing the pincushion may be left as homework.
The workshop is led by two Tõstamaa roosimine masters.
The price includes materials.
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Wedding tassel
Our foremothers were true master crafters, using ingenuity and skill to turn every strip of cloth into something special. Colourful tassels were made from strips of calico fabric and used to decorate the veimevakk, apron ribbons and, for weddings, tassels were even attached to the ends of leg ribbons (säärepaelad). That is where the name pulmatutt (wedding tassel) comes from.
In this workshop you will make a wedding tassel from calico strips, following the example of our foremothers.
The price includes materials.
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Traditional garter (säärepael)
Braided bands and garters (säärepaelad) have played an important role throughout history as fastenings, decorative accessories and ritual elements. Garters were used by both women and men to hold up stockings.
In this workshop you will learn how to braid a traditional garter.
The price includes materials.
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Traditional bead necklace
In Estonian folk tradition, women always wore a bead necklace. In addition to decoration, the bead necklace had an important protective, magical role. It is known that beads were put around a little girl’s neck as soon as her first tooth came in, and she then wore them day and night, from the cradle to the grave. As the girl matured into a woman, mother and grandmother, the necklace was gradually added to with beads that represented important events, eventually forming the woman’s so-called path of life. Silver clasps and coins were also threaded between the beads.
Making a traditional bead necklace is fun and relaxing.
Material costs are added to the price. When the work is finished, we will weigh the necklace:
- The price of the beads is €26 per 100 g.
- The average cost of materials is €14–20 per necklace.
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Traditional knitting needle bag (vardakott)
The vardakott (knitting needle bag) is an indispensable accessory that goes hand in hand with folk costumes. In the old days, women carried yarn and knitting needles in a vardakott so that they could continue their knitting at every free moment. Today, a vardakott can also be carried as a handbag.
In this workshop, our traditional vardakott is made.
In the workshop we design the bag, cut out the pieces and sew a traditional vardakott for ourselves or as a gift for a loved one.
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Bobbin lace bracelet
In Estonia, folk-style bobbin lace is used on the headdresses, collars, sleeve cuffs, aprons and shawls of folk costumes. Lace differs from region to region in its width, material and use of colour.
In this workshop you will make a bracelet from bobbin lace. You can use threads of different thicknesses, ribbons and also metal thread as material. Depending on your working speed, finishing the bracelet (adding the fastenings) may be left as homework.
The price includes materials.
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Bobbin lace for beginners
Bobbin lace arose from the practical need to reinforce the edges of fabric. Longer threads were tied to sticks (bobbins) so that they would not tangle, and by twisting and crossing the threads, bobbin lace was born.
In this workshop you will get to know the tools and materials and learn the basic stitches (half stitch, linen stitch, whole stitch). You can use the finished work as a decorative element on an item of your choice, or for example as a bookmark between the pages of a book.
The price includes materials.
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Lectures on folk costumes
Estonian folk costumes
We offer the opportunity to attend engaging lectures on the wonderful history of Estonian folk costumes. Folk costume master Anu Randmaa introduces the development, traditions and heritage of Estonian folk costumes, and the heritage of Tõstamaa parish, through rare historical items and fascinating slide presentations.
The theme “Circle of Life” highlights the connections between beliefs and clothing from a child’s birth to adulthood. For the Tõstamaa and Lihula folk costume lecture, you can also order a model dressing demonstration.
The price depends on the chosen topic and the length of the lecture.
Lecture topics
- Circle of Life — beliefs and folk costumes
- Tõstamaa folk costumes
- Lihula women's folk costume
- Heritage and its preservation